Hello. I just got my first prescription for Lyrica today. I’m wondering if anyone else has tried this and how affective it is and if there are a lot of side affects…?
Hi Ingrid,
I hope the Lyrica works for you. I had a lot of swelling in face, hands and feet. I only took it for a week but it didn’t help me during that time. But a lot of people have success with it. Wishing you the best.
Liz
hi Ingrid-
I have been on lyrica for almost 3 years now. I LOVE that there are almost no side affects for me. Although, everyones’ body will react differently… I take 200 mg 3 times a day. It does help some with the pain. good luck!
Hi Ingrid
I have taken Lyrica for the last 19 mths. I have had to up the dosage a couple of times to help manage the pain. But so far it still is working. I have slight side effects…I get dizzy at times and light headed, but compared to enduring my constant ATN pain…I will take the dizzy.
I was given Lyrica to take in a addition to Neurontin and Tizandadine. It was strictly for pain. It did nothing. No side effects and no pain relief. I get better results from taking Ibuprofen. In fact, as of last night, I’ve stopped taking any anti-convulsive medicine in favor of Ibuprofen which is handling the pain pretty well but the pain is only moderate right now. I’m trying to see if I still have the exhaustion I’ve experienced for the past 4-5 days. I can’t tell if it’s bad bouts with severe pain that’s wiping me out or the anti-convulsive medicine.
It was all I could do at work yesterday to keep from putting my head on my desk and sleeping. Even driving for 15 minutes to get home from work was difficult. Once home, I slept for 2 hours and slept hard. After waking I did some tasks but was quite groggy and when I went to bed last night I slept hard again. I have to get up at 3 AM to be at work at 4 AM and am done with work at noon.
I’m learning more and more how everyone’s experience with TN is different but I’m interested to know if anyone here feels/has felt like this - Having dealt with TN for 6 years now, mostly pain free until the past year and much more pain this summer, I feel like my body is starting to give up. I feel like my being so tired and needing, not wanting, but needing to sleep is my body’s feeble attempt at getting better or rejuvenating itself. If I were a car, my gas tank is empty. I’m sputtering along on fumes. I have lost all strength in a week’s time. Walking from my car into the building where I work is a real effort. You know how taking a brisk walk can make you feel more energetic? Well, that doesn’t work now. It makes me feel exhausted. I’m depressed but I don’t know if my depression is because of TN or if I’m tired because I’m depressed. I’m now fearing the pain and conscious of every little twinge and twitch on the right side of my face.
Has anyone felt any of that, which I’ve just described, or offer some insight as to if this can all be attributed to TN or maybe depression or something else?
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Hello, I have been taking Lyrica for the last few days but it has completely wiped me out. The other day it was a beautiful sunny day out, and I came home from work and went to bed around 6pm. I just started taking it so maybe I just need to get used to it. I’m sure that a combination of everything can be causing your sleepiness. Your body is trying to fight off the pain, which is understandably depressing, and all the pain medications I’m sure cause some drowsiness. I too have a hard time concentrating at work. I completely understand how you feel, because I don’t have much energy or desire to do anything much more. Its only understandable though that you need more sleep than you used to.
Oh brother. I have to correct my own response. I was mistaken when I said I had used Lyrica with no results whatsoever. Turns out it was Celebrex that was prescribed for pain and Celebrex that did nothing. What a dope. Can I blame my lapse in memory on TN? 
Karen Brown said:
I was given Lyrica to take in a addition to Neurontin and Tizandadine. It was strictly for pain. It did nothing. No side effects and no pain relief. I get better results from taking Ibuprofen. In fact, as of last night, I’ve stopped taking any anti-convulsive medicine in favor of Ibuprofen which is handling the pain pretty well but the pain is only moderate right now. I’m trying to see if I still have the exhaustion I’ve experienced for the past 4-5 days. I can’t tell if it’s bad bouts with severe pain that’s wiping me out or the anti-convulsive medicine.
It was all I could do at work yesterday to keep from putting my head on my desk and sleeping. Even driving for 15 minutes to get home from work was difficult. Once home, I slept for 2 hours and slept hard. After waking I did some tasks but was quite groggy and when I went to bed last night I slept hard again. I have to get up at 3 AM to be at work at 4 AM and am done with work at noon.
I’m learning more and more how everyone’s experience with TN is different but I’m interested to know if anyone here feels/has felt like this - Having dealt with TN for 6 years now, mostly pain free until the past year and much more pain this summer, I feel like my body is starting to give up. I feel like my being so tired and needing, not wanting, but needing to sleep is my body’s feeble attempt at getting better or rejuvenating itself. If I were a car, my gas tank is empty. I’m sputtering along on fumes. I have lost all strength in a week’s time. Walking from my car into the building where I work is a real effort. You know how taking a brisk walk can make you feel more energetic? Well, that doesn’t work now. It makes me feel exhausted. I’m depressed but I don’t know if my depression is because of TN or if I’m tired because I’m depressed. I’m now fearing the pain and conscious of every little twinge and twitch on the right side of my face.
Has anyone felt any of that, which I’ve just described, or offer some insight as to if this can all be attributed to TN or maybe depression or something else?
Its quite strange to read everybodies opinions on different prescribed medications. I can only say that my own story of lyrica was that after 2 or 3 days of extreme nightmares which might sound silly, but I awakened every couple hours thanking god that it was only a dream, from being stuck in a pipe with my arms at my sides unmovable, to family members dieing, being lost, and on and on and on. No thanks to lyrica.
Rob
I have taken it as well. I was on a very high dosage when it stopped working. Starting the medication…it can make you very dizzy and extremely sleepy. I was a walking zombie. lol I took it 1 time a day then the dr changed it to 2 x’s a day until finally 3x’s a day hoping to spread out the dosage a little bit better for me. All the while uping the dosage. While it worked it worked very well for me. Of course each one of these medications will work on a different nerve. Because they work on the nerve themselves they are used to block pain without a narcotic being used. Lyrica was created for fibromyalgia…all nerves. It will depend on the branch of nerves that are affected worse on you. It may work to block the receivers in your brain. I hope it gives you some relief.
laura
Hi Laura,
Thanks for your response. Lyrica has seemed to work for me so far, but I have just started taking it. It has definatetly made me very sleepy, so I am trying to take the lowest dose possible. I have taken it twice per day, but I’m trying to take it just in the evenings now so I function during the day…
Laura Hamilton said:
I have taken it as well. I was on a very high dosage when it stopped working. Starting the medication…it can make you very dizzy and extremely sleepy. I was a walking zombie. lol I took it 1 time a day then the dr changed it to 2 x’s a day until finally 3x’s a day hoping to spread out the dosage a little bit better for me. All the while uping the dosage. While it worked it worked very well for me. Of course each one of these medications will work on a different nerve. Because they work on the nerve themselves they are used to block pain without a narcotic being used. Lyrica was created for fibromyalgia…all nerves. It will depend on the branch of nerves that are affected worse on you. It may work to block the receivers in your brain. I hope it gives you some relief.
laura
Hi, Lyrica did not work for me. My doctor asked me to try it, as here on a small island, we get those kind of chances, well, turns out it made my knees hurt like hell, imagine that, like TN was not enough. When I googled the known side affects of Lyrica, it mentioned muscle pain, joint pain. Yeah, I was glad to get back to my regular meds.
Today makes 47 days after my MVD, and so far so good.
I wish you a pain free day, today and always.
Great Al
47 days and doing well. I sure hope it continues.
Liz
Al Hodge said:
Hi, Lyrica did not work for me. My doctor asked me to try it, as here on a small island, we get those kind of chances, well, turns out it made my knees hurt like hell, imagine that, like TN was not enough. When I googled the known side affects of Lyrica, it mentioned muscle pain, joint pain. Yeah, I was glad to get back to my regular meds.
Today makes 47 days after my MVD, and so far so good.
I wish you a pain free day, today and always.
I have just been given a prescription for Lyrica, low dose, building my self up to 50 mg 4 times a day. I also take 100 mg of Carpamazepime 4x day and 300 mg of Lamotragine 2x a day. I feel like a flair up is coming on, mouth and face pain getting more frequent every day. I haven't had an side effects from the Lyrica yet, but I am just now starting to take 2 pills a day. Nervous that it's not helping and I can't think of experiencing a full blown flair up again. Really want to nip it in the bud. My Neurologist said I can play around with increasing my other two drugs if I feel the need, but I want to give the Lyrica a chance. It has only been a week since I started taking it.......Going out of the country this weekend and I am so nervous.
Anna Marie
I was originally put on Lyrica for fibro. At the time I was on a pretty high dose and gained 20 pounds from it. When I was finally diagnosed with TN, I was put on Topamax in addition to the Lyrica, which made me very sleepy but it worked beautifully. The problem was that it made me so sleepy that I was falling asleep at work so that they had to take me off of the Lyrica. I tried quite a few of the other options but could not tolerate any of them. The Topamax helped me drop the 20 pounds I had gained but worked about as well as the Lyrica. It was finally decided that I would take a lower dose of each medication, I can't tolerate very much Topamax either. It has been the most effective solution we have found for me so far. Right now I am not working so the sleepiness is not as troublesome. If I have to drive a long distance - more than 20 miles or so - I try to make sure I have someone else in the car with me to keep me alert. My TN pain is a constant part of my life at this point so it's not unreasonable to find any solution I can.
Also, it may be worth knowing that it takes a week or two to build up in your system before it really starts working and Lyrica should be weaned down when it is discontinued.
I am going through the exact same thing. I can sleep all day and am still tired. I can't get enough sleep. I have had this for almost 4 years and it has just recently gotten much worse.
Karen Brown said:
I was given Lyrica to take in a addition to Neurontin and Tizandadine. It was strictly for pain. It did nothing. No side effects and no pain relief. I get better results from taking Ibuprofen. In fact, as of last night, I've stopped taking any anti-convulsive medicine in favor of Ibuprofen which is handling the pain pretty well but the pain is only moderate right now. I'm trying to see if I still have the exhaustion I've experienced for the past 4-5 days. I can't tell if it's bad bouts with severe pain that's wiping me out or the anti-convulsive medicine.
It was all I could do at work yesterday to keep from putting my head on my desk and sleeping. Even driving for 15 minutes to get home from work was difficult. Once home, I slept for 2 hours and slept hard. After waking I did some tasks but was quite groggy and when I went to bed last night I slept hard again. I have to get up at 3 AM to be at work at 4 AM and am done with work at noon.
I'm learning more and more how everyone's experience with TN is different but I'm interested to know if anyone here feels/has felt like this - Having dealt with TN for 6 years now, mostly pain free until the past year and much more pain this summer, I feel like my body is starting to give up. I feel like my being so tired and needing, not wanting, but needing to sleep is my body's feeble attempt at getting better or rejuvenating itself. If I were a car, my gas tank is empty. I'm sputtering along on fumes. I have lost all strength in a week's time. Walking from my car into the building where I work is a real effort. You know how taking a brisk walk can make you feel more energetic? Well, that doesn't work now. It makes me feel exhausted. I'm depressed but I don't know if my depression is because of TN or if I'm tired because I'm depressed. I'm now fearing the pain and conscious of every little twinge and twitch on the right side of my face.
Has anyone felt any of that, which I've just described, or offer some insight as to if this can all be attributed to TN or maybe depression or something else?
This describes me. I’ve tried so many drugs and none of them have worked and causes more problems. I’ve got enough to deal with adding more problems. My dr prescribed Lyrica yesterday. I took my first last night. Dizzy… And still in pain. Praying someone out there finds a cure.
Karen Brown said:
I was given Lyrica to take in a addition to Neurontin and Tizandadine. It was strictly for pain. It did nothing. No side effects and no pain relief. I get better results from taking Ibuprofen. In fact, as of last night, I’ve stopped taking any anti-convulsive medicine in favor of Ibuprofen which is handling the pain pretty well but the pain is only moderate right now. I’m trying to see if I still have the exhaustion I’ve experienced for the past 4-5 days. I can’t tell if it’s bad bouts with severe pain that’s wiping me out or the anti-convulsive medicine.
It was all I could do at work yesterday to keep from putting my head on my desk and sleeping. Even driving for 15 minutes to get home from work was difficult. Once home, I slept for 2 hours and slept hard. After waking I did some tasks but was quite groggy and when I went to bed last night I slept hard again. I have to get up at 3 AM to be at work at 4 AM and am done with work at noon.
I’m learning more and more how everyone’s experience with TN is different but I’m interested to know if anyone here feels/has felt like this - Having dealt with TN for 6 years now, mostly pain free until the past year and much more pain this summer, I feel like my body is starting to give up. I feel like my being so tired and needing, not wanting, but needing to sleep is my body’s feeble attempt at getting better or rejuvenating itself. If I were a car, my gas tank is empty. I’m sputtering along on fumes. I have lost all strength in a week’s time. Walking from my car into the building where I work is a real effort. You know how taking a brisk walk can make you feel more energetic? Well, that doesn’t work now. It makes me feel exhausted. I’m depressed but I don’t know if my depression is because of TN or if I’m tired because I’m depressed. I’m now fearing the pain and conscious of every little twinge and twitch on the right side of my face.
Has anyone felt any of that, which I’ve just described, or offer some insight as to if this can all be attributed to TN or maybe depression or something else?
Hi All, I have been on Lyrica about a year now. I'm on 50mg 2x day. Since last Spring I have been completely pain free! I was so happy. I could touch my face, eat, sleep, talk, I was normal again! But I was still scared to death of the monster returning.
For me winters are the worst. Well here we are, winter :( . I have burning off and on, on the inside of my cheek, you know the pain, the burning that feels like your face is going to fall off, or better yet is being torn off. It started around Christmas. The pain is so exhausting after each bout I feel the need to sleep the rest of the day and I have. It of course doesn't help that I get so upset because of the pain it makes it worse and my family doesn't help either. I had this for, omg, 4 years now. Three I could manage without meds. All this stress completely wipes me out. If that isn't enough I need to get a job. I have been applying but have heard nothing yet. Up until this Christmas I thought I would be able to manage this situation.
Aside from that I can still eat when I'm not exhausted which is all day. I'm going to try Lyrica 3x a day now and hope and pray it works. I'm not on anything else and don't believe those other drugs would be helpful for me because they are not for pain specifically. So for me the total exhaustion/depression is of from the pain. Through all this I believe the Lyrica is still doing the job because I know it will be a lot worse of I didn't take it. What I keep telling myself is to manage the stress and exhaustion. Today is the first day I think I will be able to exercise and breathe I just have to push myself to do and break out the exhaustion/depression. It is much easier to stay in bed and let life go by.
I hope this helps, STAY POSITIVE above all else. Thanks for listening
There is a drug provigil that helped my daughter stay awake during the day. The pain killers really knock you out.
My daughter’s neurologist is now injecting her face with Botox and getting positive results. It’s done every three months by a neurologist.
Hi,
I have taken Lyrica for 3 years now. My side affects have been few however I i am at the limit that the Pharmacists and Doctors want to give, they want to start on amitriptyline as a supplement. as I am getting to maintain lower pain threshold. They say that 600 Mg of Lyrica is the highest dosage that we can take. Have you found this same issue?
Syd
UnusualRose said:
I have just been given a prescription for Lyrica, low dose, building my self up to 50 mg 4 times a day. I also take 100 mg of Carpamazepime 4x day and 300 mg of Lamotragine 2x a day. I feel like a flair up is coming on, mouth and face pain getting more frequent every day. I haven't had an side effects from the Lyrica yet, but I am just now starting to take 2 pills a day. Nervous that it's not helping and I can't think of experiencing a full blown flair up again. Really want to nip it in the bud. My Neurologist said I can play around with increasing my other two drugs if I feel the need, but I want to give the Lyrica a chance. It has only been a week since I started taking it.......Going out of the country this weekend and I am so nervous.
Anna Marie